Hebe Society

Information – Books

There are about eighty books available on aspects of Hebes and other New Zealand native plants. Some
may be out of print, but can be obtained from a number of second-hand book specialists, see bottom of page.

These are the dozen books that I rate most highly.

Hebes

Gardening
With Hebes,
Chris and Valerie Wheeler, Guild of Master Craftsman, UK, 2002, ISBN
1-86108-291-6. 150 pages, 11 × 8 in, illustrated
with 154 excellent colour photographs, 10 colour drawings,
14 line drawings. All aspects of gardening with hebes are covered,
both in text and pictures. There are planting schemes for hebes in beds
and containers, also suggestions for hebes as ground cover, hedges or
for use in topiary. Finally a hundred hebes are described; many of these
are illustrated. An ideal introduction to this fascinating genus. Available
from The RHS Wisley Bookshop, Amazon and Touchwood Books.

Hebes
and Parahebes,
Douglas Chalk, Christopher Helm, UK, 1988, ISBN 0-7470-0410-2 (also
published in New Zealand, 0-908563-21-3, and USA, ISBN 0-88192-124-6).
152 pages, 9 × 6 in, illustrated with 33 line drawings,
8 colour plates (60 hebes, 1 parahebe). This was the
first book on hebes and parahebes, and was written by our former Chairman.
The plant descriptions are listed alphabetically, and there is a paragraph
on each. This book is now out of print. Available from Touchwood Books
or Amazon.

Hebes Here and There, Graham Hutchins and Patricia Davies, privately
published by Hutchins and Davies, United Kingdom, 1997, ISBN 0-9530940-0-6.
320 pages, 9.5 × 6.5 in, illustrated with 6 colour photographs on cover,
and many excellent line drawings of hebes. Written by a Vice President of the Hebe Society,
who devotes between half a page and a page to most hebes. The species and
their close allies are grouped in sections, so that closely related hebes
are near one another. The hybrids are arranged in alphabetical order. Available from The RHS Wisley Bookshop or Amazon.

International Register of Hebe Cultivars, L J Metcalf, Royal New Zealand Institute
of Horticulture, New Zealand, 2001, ISBN 0-9597756-4-1. 232 pages,
8 × 5.5 in, illustrated with 17 colour photographs, 4 b/w photographs or
diagrams. Written by a Vice President of the Hebe Society. About a thousand hebes are covered in various levels of detail.
The most recent references seem to be 1997. There are also sections on Hebe
as a garden plant, and on its origins and evolution. Available from Amazon
or Touchwood Books.

Hebes, A Guide to Species, Hybrids and Allied Genera, Lawrie Metcalf, Timber Press, ISBN 0-88192-773-2, 308 pages, 9 × 7 in, illustrated
with 133 colour photographs, 17 b&w drawings. Written by a Vice President of the Hebe Society. The genus Hebe is a treasure
trove of more than 100 species and subspecies of medium sized to dwarf evergreen
shrubs with outstanding ornamental features. This book provides a wealth
of information about the native habitats, preferred growing conditions,
cultivation and an A–Z guide to all known species and most horticulturally
valuable hybrids. Available from The RHS Wisley Bookshop, Amazon
or Touchwood Books.

For each species, the book has two pages of detailed information, photographs,
and distribution maps. General chapters discuss evolution, reproductive
biology, conservation, and other topics.
Available from Amazon, Te Papa or Touchwood Books.

New Zealand Plants

Cultivation of New Zealand Plants, Lawrie Metcalf,
Godwit, New Zealand, 1993, 0-908877-23-4. 260 pages, 10 × 7 in,
illustrated with 100 line drawings, 200 colour photographs.
Information on the identification and cultivation of over 360 species
of New Zealand plants is given. The illustrations are of a very high
standard. This is a companion volume to Lawrie’s ‘The Cultivation
of New Zealand Trees and Shrubs’.

Field
Guide to Wild Plants of Mount Cook National Park, Hugh D Wilson,
Field Guide Publications, New Zealand, 1978. 294 pages, 7.5 ×
4.5 in, illustrated with 544 line drawings. This well illustrated
book is useful throughout the South Island. It covers both native and
introduced plants. There is a more recent edition.

Flora
of New Zealand, Volume 1, H H Allan, R E Owen, New Zealand,
1961. 1149 pages, 8 × 5 in, illustrated with 48 line drawings.
This volume covers all native ferns, conifers and dicotyledons. The
description of each plant is highly detailed, and quite technical. This
book, together with Volume 2 for monocotyledons, has been the gold standard
of New Zealand botany for the last forty years.

Gardener’s
Encyclopaedia of New Zealand Native Plants, Yvonne Cave
and Valda Paddison, a Godwit book published by Random House, New Zealand,
1999, ISBN 1-86962-043-7. 320 pages, 11 × 8 in, illustrated
with over 1000 photographs. The photographs and text are separate;
the text is arranged by habitat (trees shrubs and climbers, herbaceous
plants, ferns - the first two categories are further divided by size).
The text is arranged alphabetically. This book is an armchair exploration
of New Zealand native plants and their cultivars. You will soon find
yourself booking a flight to New Zealand!

New
Zealand Alpine Plants,
A F Mark and Nancy Adams, A H and A W Reed, New Zealand, 1973,
ISBN 0-589-01063-8. 265 pages, 8 × 8.5 in, illustrated
with many fine colour drawings. Each plant is described, along with
information on its distribution and habit. This book is regarded by
many as the definitive book on New Zealand alpines; it has been recently
revised.

New
Zealand Coast and Mountain Plants, John Dawson and Rob
Lucas, Victoria University Press, New Zealand, 1996, ISBN 0-86473-310-0.
176 pages, 10 × 7 in, illustrated with 180 colour photographs,
which vary in size between a quarter page and two pages. A very readable
introduction to both native and introduced plants, on both the main
islands and the Subantarctic Islands. The many photographs are of great
beauty.

Ghosts
of Gondwana, George Gibb, Craig Potton Publishing, New
Zealand, 2006, ISBN 1-877333-48-4. 231 pages, 9.5 × 7 in,
illustrated with colour photographs and diagrams. The history of life
in New Zealand. Have you ever wondered why New Zealand’s plants
and animals are so different from those in other countries? A readable
introduction to the remarkable story of how and why life evolved in
New Zealand.

New
Zealand Trees and Shrubs,
L J Metcalf, Reed Methuen, New Zealand, revised edition 2000, ISBN 0-7900-0662-6.
408 pages, 10 × 7 in, illustrated with line
drawing, b/w photographs and colour photographs. The book has information
on the identification and cultivation of over 600 species of New Zealand
plants.